IBM 705 Data Processing System

The IBM 705 was one of the most powerful data processing systems available in the mid-1950s. Operating according to detailed instructions called a program, the 705's electronic circuits performed a series of record-keeping, arithmetic and logical operations automatically and at speeds which made it capable of 240,000 "decisions" in 60 seconds, and of multiplying numbers as large as 1 million at the rate of over 400 per second.